I used to have a side by side stick burner for years. Turned out some pretty good BBQ, but I found it tedious to maintain constant temperature and really hated the temperature difference from left to right as you got closer to the firebox. For a long smoke on a pork butt (12-14 hours) it was a real pain. I switched to a Smoke Vault propane smoker 3 years ago and have been turning out some of the best BBQ I have ever done. I have used this thing 5X more in the past 2-3 years than I ever did with my stick burner. Easy to use, easy to keep steady temp, and the water pan does wonders regulating the temperature on all 3 grates as well as add moisture. I'll never go back and for about $200 you can't go wrong.
And for a pretty small footprint, this thing did 4 very large butts like a champ...fed 60 people.
Bark would be better only I choose to wrap mine in foil for the second half. I'll take the added moisture over a better bark.
And for a pretty small footprint, this thing did 4 very large butts like a champ...fed 60 people.
Bark would be better only I choose to wrap mine in foil for the second half. I'll take the added moisture over a better bark.
Dr. Pepper makes a great spritzer. I generally smoke for around 7-8 hours until I hit the stall (165 or so) and then take out and put in a pan and wrap in foil. Want to make sure I retain all the juices. Honestly...the last two times I just finished in the oven. There is zero difference in flavor once its wrapped. I did that for a work BBQ where I had to take 3 butts the next morning. I put them in the oven at about 1:00 AM. They were done around 8:30. Only downside is the smell was TORTURE. Filled the house with amazing goodness. 
